Pumpkin Spice Donuts

Easy, moist, and delicious baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts for fall are a perfect breakfast on the go any day of the week, and also make a great addition to your weekend brunch menu.

Pumpkin Pie Latte

Wake up the house with the warm, comforting aroma of pumpkin pie simmering on the stove-top with this kid-friendly Pumpkin Pie Latte recipe. Fresh pumpkin puree, warm milk, and spices make a comforting drink that will warm you through and through and satisfy your fall flavor cravings!

Pumpkin Streusel Squares

Pumpkin Streusel Squares are easy to make from a box of Spice Cake Mix I dressed up with creamy pumpkin puree and a sweet cinnamon and brown sugar streusel. There is also a secret ingredient you don't normally find in baked goods that make these pumpkin squares super moist! I love simple holiday recipes like this one! You don't have to be a skilled baker to make these scrumptious squares, but everyone will think you are!

Butternut Squash French Toast

Butternut Squash French Toast is a delicious and healthier twist on a classic breakfast dish!

Buttermilk Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe

Buttermilk Pumpkin Pancakes melt in your mouth! This might be my favorite breakfast ever! Loaded with homemade pumpkin puree, these pancakes are a delicious and nutritious way to start your day.

DIY Pumpkin Topiary

posted by Marion@Life Tastes Good on 2013-10-30

DIY Pumpkin Topiary: It is finally starting to cool down here in FL! We had our first taste of fall weather this past weekend and it got me motivated to decorate just a little! 

I rummaged through our storage closet and found all of our fall decorations and went to work!

Last year I made this Pumpkin Topiary and it was so easy! It is definitely my kind of DIY project!

It looks great! Requires few materials and no gluing or nailing or any real tools! and it is easy to store and use every year! You can certainly use real pumpkins for this, but that will require a little more work and $$$, so I recommend the faux pumpkins you can pick up at your local craft store. 

Pumpkin Lobster Mac and Cheese

posted by Marion@Life Tastes Good on 2013-10-23

Pumpkin Lobster Mac and Cheese sounds like a strange combo, but I'm here to tell you it works! I was skeptical - Don was skeptical, but we both loved it-for real, and everyone was jealous when he took it for lunch the next day! This mac and cheese is some serious yum! Even if you lose the lobster to save some $$$, the pumpkin and cheese combo is a winner!

Using mascarpone cheese gives this a creaminess that can't be beat, and the taste is divine. My favorite mac and cheese ever! Don't let the ingredient list intimidate you. This is pretty quick and easy to make and definitely worth all the glorious fat and calories. 

You can fix this recipe to your liking. I like it right off the stove-top for maximum creaminess, but if you prefer a baked mac and cheese you can do that too. It's up to you!

Pumpkin Pie Bread Recipe

posted by Marion@Life Tastes Good on 2013-10-18

Forget the pie on Thanksgiving! Take the easy way out and make this Pumpkin Pie Bread!! 

Squish all the smooth, wonderful goodness of a pumpkin pie into a bread pan and, voila, out comes a moist, sweet, and spice filled burst of happiness! It is love at first bite! 

This recipe is the perfect combo of spices to pumpkin to sweetness, and when you have this bread in the oven it fills the entire house, and probably your whole neighborhood, with aromas that are hard to resist! 

If you aren't prepared for unexpected neighbors dropping by to "borrow" something you might get caught in your curlers and pj's. The heavenly aromas will bring all the neighbors to your door!

Praline-Pumpkin Mousse Cornucopias

Praline-Pumpkin Mousse Cornucopias make an impressive dessert that is easier to pull off than you might think!

This month allrecipes.com partnered with Campbell's. As an Allrecipes Allstar, I was tasked with making recipes using Cambell's products. There were several recipes from which to choose, such as Quick and Flavorful Veges, Moist and Savory Stuffing, Green Bean Casserole, and Ultra Creamy Mashed Potatoes. 

I used several of these for my Thanksgiving Feast, however the most intriguing recipe was the Praline-Pumpkin Mousse Cornucopias, so I saved the best for last! 

I have used puff pastry lots in the past, but I've never used it with a mold to make a shape before! I love how creative this is, and my wheels are turning trying to come up with some more shapes to make and fill!

Pumpkin Maple Coffee Cake

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OOOH soooo yummmmy!

I had some leftover pumpkin after making the Pumpkin-Pecan Braid, so I went in search of another yummy pumpkin recipe.  Seeing as Pillsbury did such a good job on the braid recipe, I went to their website first. Because I LOVE COFFEE CAKE it was a no brainer to try this recipe.  My only issue was I didn't have maple flavoring, and I couldn't find it anywhere! So I decided to use pure maple syrup, and you know what? It worked just fine! The maple-y flavor came through in just the right amount!

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1.5 cups all-purpose flour (Pillsbury Best)

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2/3 cup buttermilk (or 2 teaspoons vinegar in milk to make 2/3 cup - let sit for about 5 mins)

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 teaspoon pure maple syrup

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs, beaten

Topping

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pure maple syrup

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom only of a 9" square pan with cooking spray. 

For the coffee cake combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, buttermilk, pumpkin, maple syrup, oil, and eggs in a bowl until combined.

For the topping combine sugar and cinnamon until well mixed. Stir in maple syrup until blended.

Spoon half of batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with 1/2 of topping. Then carefully spoon remaining batter into pan and top with remaining topping.

Bake in pre-heated oven for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Mine was done after 40 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes and enjoy!

Recipe inspired by Pillsbury's Pumpkin Maple Coffee Cake

Pumpkin-Pecan Braid

posted by Marion @Life Tastes Good on 2012-10-30

This pumpkin-pecan braid is delicious. It is fairly easy to make too! I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin, and I even liked it. Don LOVED it! With the emphasis being on the past tense because it is GONE already! This is easy to make with Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and so very pretty!  This recipe can be adapted with any filling, which makes it a keeper in my book. I love versatility!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 egg, separated
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 (8 ounce) can Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for the glaze)
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 1 tablespoon chopped pecans

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. In medium bowl mix 1/2 cup canned pumpkin, 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1 egg yolk. Stir in 1/2 cup pecans.
2. Unroll crescent roll dough onto cookie sheet; firmly press perforations to seal. Press to form 13x7" rectangle. I did use a measuring tape for this. Spread filling in a 3 1/2 " wide strip lengthwise down the center of dough leaving 1" on both short ends (I measured for this as well, but I'm sure you can eyeball it).
3. With a sharp knife, make cuts 1" apart on long sides of dough just to edge of filling (once again I measured these cuts - I really wanted it to look pretty). Fold strips at an angle across filling, overlapping ends and alternating from side to side. Beat 1 egg white in a small bowl until foamy and brush over dough.
4. Bake 20-30 minutes or until deep golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet and place on a serving platter. 
5. In a small bowl mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons milk (or whatever it takes to reach desired consistency). Drizzle over warm coffee cake and sprinkle with 1 tablespoons of pecans. Enjoy!

Recipe inspired by - allrecipes.com Pumpkin-Pecan Braid

My thoughts and prayers have been with everyone in the northeast riding out the storm. Especially my family living in Cape May County, NJ where the storm made landfall. I hope everyone is waking up safe and sound with very little property damage today.  If you do find yourself with significant damage in the wake of this storm, please know that as overwhelming as it feels right now, you will get through this. We lost our home in the hurricanes that hit Florida in 2004. We spent a year rebuilding and made it through better than ever. I won't sugar coat it - it was a hard year for us. Dealing with storm damage is challenging.  Keep smiling and keep moving forward! Every new day is a day closer to getting past it.

Happy Halloween!

Madison's 1st Halloween

Not sure why I don't have a costume pic for her 2nd  year

My Princess on her third Halloween

The 1st Dog Costume we made together

Madison with Nick the clown and Megan the kitty cat
Madison always wanted to grow up to be Ariel - The Little Mermaid

The girl dog costume :)

looking so grown up at age 6

Madison as Maria Montessori for the living historical timeline

Harvest Pumpkin Cupcakes, Pretzel Bread, and Table Decor Tips

Don and I traveled to Tallahassee this past weekend to see our girl.  She was riding in the first show of the season at FSU, and we wanted to be there to support her and the team.  Madison won her class! She pointed out of her division and qualified for the Regional show at the end of the year!  Way to go Mads!! The team did very well all around. Everyone came home with a ribbon, and they were high point team for the day!  Go Bees!! Thank you FSU and Little Pond Farm for hosting a great show!!

Last year we were fortunate to be able to attend all the shows with the exception of one. We always made sure to bring goodies for the team, so they've come to look forward to seeing us. This mom knows how to get in good with these college kids <big grin>

When it comes to setting out food for a crowd, I always like to make the table look pretty. I keep a storage bin ready to go with table linens, napkins, plates, utensils, etc.  I toss in some seasonal or team related decorations and I'm always ready for a party!

This past weekend we took along some fall decorations for the table as well as made sure to have some black and yellow accents for the team colors. The fondant bees add a nice touch as well - SCAD's mascot is a Bee (Art the Bee)

Most decorations I find at the dollar store, so I don't spend a lot. To save money on table linens I buy discount fabric and I use iron on fabric tape to create hems. It is cheap and easy for this non-sewing girl!  Another money saving tip is to be on the lookout for baskets that go on clearance. They are a quick and easy way to dress up a table and the goodies. They travel well too!

 

The table looked so festive

Harvest Pumpkin Cupcakes!

These pumpkin cupcakes are easy to make and delicious. They taste just like a pumpkin pie! I cheated a little and purchased some buttercream frosting from the bakery. Because these were going to be outside the cream cheese frosting wouldn't hold up, but I look forward to making these again with the frosting that is in the recipe - it sounds like a perfect pairing!!

So happy to be partnering with Karo Syrup this month for my allrecipes.com Brand Ambassador program! Karo Syrup, Argo, and Fleischmann's brands are making for a very tasty month!!

I also made these yummy pretzel rolls as part of my monthly activities. These are perfect for sandwiches and they traveled well too! 

They are fairly easy to make using Fleischmann's Rapid Rise Yeast. TIP: Don't skip the boiling part - it is essential to getting the pretzel flavor in these rolls! Also, be sure to measure the water and baking soda according to the amounts in the recipe. If you use less water these will turn out too salty. If you use less baking soda they won't have that salty pretzely flavor

this is Mikey. Because we had a table full of food - he decided to be our friend for the day!

High Point Team!

Fondant Bees for the SCAD Bees